The Bundeswehr is studying the possibility of resuming conscription
The political leadership of Germany sets new tasks for the armed forces, the implementation of which may encounter various difficulties. First of all, the problem will be a shortage of personnel. In this regard, the Ministry of Defense is going to consider the possibility of changing the principles of recruiting the armed forces. The return of compulsory military service, abolished at the beginning of the last decade, is not excluded.
Preliminary study
Currently, the number of armed forces of Germany reaches 181 thousand people. Starting in 2022, the country’s leadership sets new military-political tasks for the Bundeswehr and wants to create “the largest army in Europe.” However, the current contractual principle of manning the armed forces will not be able to ensure the required increase in the number of personnel, and other measures are required.
On March 5, the German publication Spiegel revealed interesting plans of the German Ministry of Defense regarding recruitment issues. He learned that Minister Boris Pistorius had instructed his department to explore options for changing the existing model of military service, which would ensure scalability and adaptation of the armed forces to emerging threats. The work must be completed by April 1.
The relevant document, obtained by Der Spiegel, indicates that the Minister of Defense plans to make a proposal for the return of compulsory military service. The Ministry of Defense will have to bring this idea to open discussion before the next federal election.
Spiegel recalls that this is not the first time B. Pistorius has drawn attention to compulsory military service. Thus, at the recent Munich Security Conference, he assessed the possible recruitment of conscripts. According to the minister, in its current state, the Bundeswehr is capable of accepting and training only 3-4 thousand conscripts annually. This is several times less than the potential number of conscripts.
Also on March 5, the German Minister of Defense went on an official visit to Sweden. According to Spiegel, during the trip B. Pistorius planned to study the Swedish experience of returning the conscript army. Sweden abandoned a completely contract army in 2017, and has now been able to resolve the main issues of manning the armed forces. Probably, its developments can also be useful in Germany.
It should be noted that the development of a return to conscription is so far known only from the media. This issue has not yet been raised at the official level, and it is unclear when it will be discussed as a real initiative. Perhaps the fact is that such a concept is not yet ready for full implementation and needs to be developed. In addition, the military and political leadership of Germany must understand that such ideas will not please the population and do not want to provoke a negative reaction.
Experience of the past
Until July 1, 2011, the Bundeswehr was staffed on a mixed basis. The backbone of the army was made up of regular and contract soldiers. The required strength of the armed forces was generally achieved through conscripts. In the last decades of the existence of conscription, their number reached 60-80 thousand people.
The entire male population aged 18 to 45 was liable for military service; in wartime, the upper limit was raised to 60 years. In the absence of health restrictions and reasons for deferment, an adult citizen had to undergo military or alternative service for a period of 6 months.
After six months of service, a serviceman could retire to the reserves or remain on long-term service, which lasted up to 14 months. In the future, the Bundeswehr has the right to regularly call the reservist for training, which lasts up to several months. In addition, after compulsory service, a citizen could enter into a contract and become a professional military man. The contract provided for terms from 2 to 12 years.
Such principles made it possible to maintain the size of the Bundeswehr at the required level for decades. During the Cold War, more recruits had to be called up to ensure adequate combat effectiveness. In the nineties, the pace of recruitment decreased significantly in accordance with the international situation and existing threats.
In the 2011s, the conscription principle was considered a relic of the past that did not correspond to the current situation. At the end of the decade, a corresponding program was developed, and in XNUMX, compulsory service was abolished. From that time until now, the Bundeswehr has been a professional army.
The contract principle made it possible to maintain the pace of recruitment of the armed forces at the desired level, but at the same time reduced tension in society. With its help, in recent years it was possible to maintain the strength of the Bundeswehr at the level of 180 thousand people, which was considered sufficient to solve peacetime problems and participate in local operations - even against the background of the deterioration of the international situation in the second half of the XNUMXs.
The situation is changing
In 2022, the military-political situation in Europe sharply deteriorated, and official Berlin revised its military construction plans. Thus, in the middle of the year, the political leadership of Germany announced the need to increase and modernize the armed forces. As a result of these processes, the Bundeswehr should become the largest traditional army in Europe. Various measures have been proposed to solve such a problem within a reasonable time.
First of all, they decided to increase the military budget. Also in 2022, a special fund of 107 billion euros was created for additional funding of the army. With its help, the size of the military budget was going to be increased to 2%, required by NATO standards. Recently, German management reported on the successful development of 80% of this fund. However, there are no noticeable results of these processes yet.
Germany also plans to expand its presence abroad. So, last spring, against the backdrop of unrest in Africa, Berlin announced the future dispatch of troops to Sudan. At the end of the year, they talked about the future increase in the group of troops on the territory of Lithuania. Perhaps new plans of this kind will appear in the near future.
It is easy to see that in order to solve the assigned tasks, first of all, an increase in the number of personnel in the armed forces is required. Whether the current contract system can cope with this is unclear. It has previously been criticized for its lack of efficiency and low recruitment rates. Now this system requires increased indicators, the possibility of achieving which is in question.
Apparently, the German Ministry of Defense also doubts the capabilities of the current system of recruiting the armed forces. It is for this reason that the head of the department instructed to work on alternative options, incl. return to compulsory service and conscription. At the same time, only a few weeks are given to study the situation and develop options for action. For one reason or another, the Ministry of Defense is forced to hurry.
Plans and reality
Thus, the current state and possible prospects for the development of the Bundeswehr do not suit the military and political leadership of Germany. To meet their desires and plans, an increase and strengthening of the army is required, and in the shortest possible time. Such problems should be partially solved by increasing funding, but other measures are also required.
The armed forces need more troops. Judging by recent reports and statements, the current recruitment system will not provide the required increase in the number of recruits. A possible solution could be a return to conscription, which, according to media reports, is under study. Whether they will take advantage of this opportunity and what the results of this step will be, time will tell.
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